Saudi Gov. Talking Smack About Qatar's Shiekha Moza and that Hadith About Women Leading Government in Islam Being a Sign of the Day of Judgement

I know she doesn't wear perfect hijab, and she shakes hands with men, so we're not the same when it comes to our Islamic practice, but that she is a truly intelligent, artistic, and charitable human being dedicated to bettering the lives of Qataris and developing her country, along with preserving its core values I could do nothing but say.

...As I don't know her personally, I can't judge her reasons for the things she does that I disagree with; she might very well be a better Muslim than me after all. A lot of what matters in Islam does not come out by way of an outward gesture. Besides, we're not talking about her as a Muslim are we? We're talking about her as a leader?

And when it comes to leadership, she is more qualified and experienced than a lot men, and Muslims. Just sayin';).

Of course, KSA is trying to criticize Qatar's leadership.

KSA style?: blame a woman who you can say "look at how she dresses", "look who she talks to", etc..... Rather than discussing her failures on a political or economic front, which would be the more Islamic thing to do, if we're criticizing government. Even they don't criticize her way of dress or her deportment they simply say women leading is a sign of the end of the world, and that success can never come to a people led by a woman.

But whatever.

Compared to the rest of GCC, no other GCC state compares to the education, healthcare, and general lifestyle of Qatar.

So that [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ajJuzqLKQ&app=desktop] Saudi news statement announcing the gov. issuing a "charity fund" for Qataris was laughed at by Qataris.

And Omanis. Just a little. Okay, a lot. It's like....

....Have you been to KSA?

Saudi has ghettos. Saudi nationals do not get free land. They do not get free housing. They have the worst freedom of internet usage in the world. [I know Oman isn't so great either, we're the same as Chad and Afghanistan, but we're STILLLLLL lower down on the list of the terrible than KSA]. Their women have the least legal freedom of any country in the world.

Their education system is so seriously bad that a male Saudi doctor who was married to my friend (and graduated form a decent KSA medical uni so that should say something) didn't want to allow a c-section to be preformed because he was afraid it would make his wife fat, even though both the mother and baby's life were in danger.

Offering Qatar charity is a joke. Right KSA?

Or are you that deluded?

Like, maybe they're just jealous that not even the crazy MBC owner's wives dress in as much couture as Moza;p. Because a lot of the Saudi royal family women don't wear hijab either, outside of KSA.

That was my first (ignorant) thought, I admit.

Sheikha Moza's accomplishments are often reduced to her rather enviable couture style.

She's one stylish woman.

...Which the Saudi gov. would claim to hate on religious grounds, of course.
Them hating on Moza for that wouldn't bother me, if they didn't bring Islam into it. Haters gonna hate.

I am Sunni. Same fiqh as KSA. I wear abaya. I prefer niqab even. I still get mad by this.

But I am not mad at KSA really....Same thing happens in Oman though. We can't blame KSA for everything as prejudiced people are wont to. If Oman gets a well-preforming female Minister you hear the same bloody terrible thing from some [albeit much less than in KSA ALHAMDULILAH!!!] ignorant quarters:

"Women leading government is a sign of the end times" i.e. the qiayamah.

I don't know about Ibadhi or Shia (like I said, I am sunni) but the hadith (saying of the Prophet Mohammed) that Saudis and Sunnis use for this, is, as narrated by Tirmidhi:

"When the best among you are your ruler, the rich amongst you are liberal and the affairs of your state are decided upon by consultation among yourselves, then the surface of the earth is better for you than its inside. And when the worst among you you are your rulers. the rich among you miserly and the affairs of the state are entrusted to women, then inside the earth is better for you for you than its surface".

Which, unfortunately for those who pick and choose hadiths at random without checking their validity of context, this hadith, despite being narrated by Tirmidhi, is classified as weak, and one not to be followed by Tirmidhi himself. He writes along with it: "...we do not know of it except from the statement of Saalih al-Mirri, and Saalih al-Mirri has strange ahadith which only he narrates. They are not to be followed, while he [Saalih al-Mirri] is a righteous man."

So as Muslims, obviously it is important to read. The first verse revealed in the Qu'ran was "read/recite". We we should not just follow what people are saying. Read it ALL. From the source. Where the source came from. The authenticity of the source. Never stop reading. Never stop researching.

Shaykh al-Albani apparently also includes this hadith in the collection of weak hadith (those not to be used in fatwas) in the books Da'eef ak-Jaami' asSagheer, and Al-Targheeb wat'Tarheeb. Thank you Zaynab at the Salaafi Feminist wbesite for including the fatwas, and translating the Arabic so well for us (her dad is an awesome Shaykh too).

Like this piece from Zaynab:

"With regards to the hadith of Abu Bakra about how a nation will never succeed if they are led by a woman, it has been taken greatly out of context and misunderstood.

The full story is that RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) sent a letter of da'wah to the Kisrah, who tore up the letter. In response, RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) made du'a that his empire be torn up just as he tore up the letter. Shortly after, Kisrah died, and his daughter was elected the ruler. When RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) heard the news, he made the remark that is so well known today - "Never will a people be successful who give their leadership to a woman."

However, what is not taken into consideration is that he was remarking *very specifically* about the nation of Kisrah - that *they* (a people who had made a woman their leader) would never be successful, not because their leader was a woman, but because RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) had made du'a for their entire empire to be destroyed.

Specifying "a people... who give their leadership to a woman" was merely referring to the people of Kisrah, whom (it appears) were unique at the time for having a female leader. Yet it must be understood that the hadith of Abu Bakra is not a blanket statement to be used at preventing women from having *any* positions of authority.

As a side note - Abu Bakra was the sole Sahabi to use this hadith as an evidence against recognizing or acknowledging A'ishah's leadership in the Battle of the Camel. If, truly, the hadith was meant as a general statement against women being leaders at all, then surely the many, many other Sahabah who were still alive at that time would have used it as an evidence against A'ishah and used it to warn her that she was not allowed to assume leadership of men. Instead, numerous Companions of RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) accompanied her, and even those who opposed her politically during that time did not ever use this statement against her."

So, for sunnis, there is actually nothing wrong with women leading government. I know, some ignorant people (mostly Sunnis too, for which I am ashamed) think women shouldn't work in mixed environments where men are present at all, let alone mixed work environments in politics or government.

But this I laugh at, given the example of the Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessings be upon him, sallahu alayhi wa salaaam), in appointing, what was basically his Caliphate's MINISTER OF ECONOMIC FINANCE REGULATION and AUDITING and CONSUMER PROTECTION in the person of Samraa' bint Nuhayk (who was, get this, a woman).

Alas.

Which should disprove pretty much any crap misuse of ahadith but apparently not.

Anyways, I am sure you all liked my use of this post to give you a lot of Sheikha Moza fashion for no reason whatsoever, and my rather endless rant about the lack of proper Islamic scholarship in Muslims in general, plus goodly dose of feminism amid political smack-talking.

P.S. Apparently the majority of the awesome Moza fashion pics I have googled are from this tumblr account: http://sheikhamozahfashion.tumblr.com

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I am just another Bedouin Victorian girl living her life in the Khaleej (aka Arabian/Persian Gulf). I currently reside in the Sultanate of Oman. I occasionally write for the blog "How to Live like an Omani Princess" and usually BADLY edit it.